Before the Steelers took on the Green Bay Packers in a preseason game Sunday afternoon, team officials walked members of the media through a $35 million renovation of Heinz Field that added new restaurants, suites, more than 2,600 seats and a new club level to the stadium’s South Plaza.
But Walter and Sherri Carter of Waynesboro, Va., longtime Steelers fans who upgraded to seats in the plaza’s new PNC Champions Club, got a look at the renovations Friday during a three-hour reception for ticket-holders.
“They knocked it out of the park,” Mrs. Carter said. “They exceeded expectations.”
Construction on the new section began shortly after the Steelers’ Jan. 3 loss to Baltimore in the American Football Conference wild-card game and finished last month.
Team spokesman Burt Lauten said the new seats created enough room for nearly 2,700 fans who had been on a waiting list for nearly 20 years to purchase season tickets.
“We were able to get some of the folks that have been on the waiting list for a long time, and we were able to get them into the stadium,” Mr. Lauten said.
The new plaza includes food vendors Burgatory, Papa John’s and Mac N’at at the Ford Fan Zone level, five suites and a 20,000-square foot club area that provides a view of the player’s tunnel, similar to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and a cigar bar that honors the late Art Rooney Sr., the team’s founder and original owner.
Approximately 1,500 gray club seats also extend to the edge of the south end zone, the closest to the field of any in the stadium. While the renovations closed off some of the view of Downtown and the wind whipping into the stadium for kickers, fans still will be able to see the skyline from the Ford Fan Zone tier.
“It’s beautiful. We’re excited about the sight lines. We’re excited about being that close to the field,” Mr. Lauten said.
The expansion, paid for by the Steelers through an agreement with the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority, brings capacity at Heinz Field to 68,400.
Frank Newsome, a 48-year-old Steelers fan, and his wife made the nearly seven-hour drive from tiny Newsoms, Va., and were waiting outside South Plaza to get inside Heinz for just the second time in Mr. Newsome’s life. They were eager for a look at the new section.
“I’m just ecstatic to be here,” he said.
Robert Zullo: rzullo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3909. Twitter: @rczullo.
First Published: August 24, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
